Extraordinary House of Hungarian Music Has No Straight Lines or Planar Surfaces

New York-based Leeser Architecture recently unveiled their music-inspired proposal for The House of Hungarian Music in Budapest - and it has no straight lines or planar surfaces! The architects drew inspiration from Goethe’s notion of architecture being frozen music and came up with a design based on flowing organic forms and flexible spaces for exhibitions, installations and performances.

The building’s unique shape is meant to serve as a backdrop for different events and uses its acoustical performance to augment the experience of music. Its form, based on the Gyroid-an infinitely connected triply periodic minimal surface discovered by Alan Schoen in 1970- allows natural lighting to penetrate the interior spaces and establishes views of the surrounding landscape as visitors progress up its ramps and staircases. The main entrance faces the park and draws visitors inside via a continuous ramp that snakes its way vertically along the structure. Recessed floor slabs create a series of environments which provide visitors with the opportunity to observe the building’s unique shape.

A modern amphitheater lies behind the structure and serves as a venue for outdoor musical events and performances. Several sustainable strategies are incorporated in the design, including the optimization of its shape, which would help retain as much of the surrounding flora and fauna as possible.